flew 63 air missions to deliver assistance personnel and more than 29,000 pounds of cargo for the people of CNMI. Mangkhut DSCA relief efforts ended on 14 Sept. when the 31st MEU and CLB-31 re-embarked aboard the Wasp and Ashland to continue deployment. Just over a month later, on 25 October, the second-strongest storm ever to hit U.S. soil, Super Typhoon Yutu, made a direct hit on the islands of Tinian and Saipan. The 31st MEU and CLB-31, which had just returned to Okinawa after completing deployment, received orders to assist relief efforts just days after returning to Camp Hansen. The 31st MEU arrived to support DSCA efforts in aiding local leadership and FEMA on 29 October, taking shelter at the international airport and establishing a command post. A more robust follow-on force arrived aboard the USS Ashland on 3 November, aiding with water purification, route clearance, damage assessments and restoration of municipal utilities. All told, the 31st MEU and CLB-31, which led the multiservice response effort on Tinian, cleared miles of roadway, purified more than 20,000 gallons of drinking water, and helped deliver and assemble more than 150 FEMA-provided shelters, handing control of the DSCA effort to the U.S. Navy Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1 on 14 November. 31st MEU commanding officers Unit awards A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation. The 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit has been presented with the following awards: See also Marine Air-Ground Task Force List of Marine Expeditionary Units Organization of the United States Marine Corps References Notes Bibliography Web 31st MEU's official website 31